


simple

by iris_ophelia



Category: Veep (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 02:08:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16525259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iris_ophelia/pseuds/iris_ophelia
Summary: "It can be that simple."





	simple

**Author's Note:**

> _Sophie does not come to Nevada but Dan is still Dan and Amy is still Amy so it is anything but simple._

The recount seems to take the trajectory of a disaster. Bob is a disaster. Jonah is a disaster. Richard is a disaster. Furlong is a disaster. The volunteers are a disaster. And Dan is... well, Dan is.

Somehow, he has become her sounding board, her confident, the one she trusts. She knows that it will be a mistake eventually but there is no one else and he has been the only one who has helped her without fail over the past year.

His flirty glances and suggestive words at the bar make her heart race and she immediately excuses herself back to her room. She stares at the TV but does not absorb the content. She hears a knock on the door and opens it. He’s staring at her in a serious manner, there is no jest. She begins to speak, “Dan, what…”

And then he cuts her off with his mouth. He kisses her, intensely, and she forgets everything. Nevada. The recount. The election. Selina. Her insecurities about her job. Everything.

He pushes her into the room and shuts the door behind him with his leg. CNN drones on softly in the background as he guides her towards the bed. She pulls his tie and shirt off quickly. He pulls off her t-shirt. They lose both of their bottoms.

There are no words exchanged as he falls on top of her on the bed. All she can feel is his mouth and hands and body, and she continues to forget. Her body reacts in ways she tried to forget for so many years. He breathes heavily into the space between her shoulders and neck while his lips dance across her skin. Her body arches, pulling closer, holding onto something intangible she likes to pretend does not exist when the sunlight is out. They both collapse, him heavy on top of her in the most glorious way.

A few minutes later he rolls over and they stare at each other as they lay side by side. He smirks and she rolls her eyes. CNN somehow becomes louder and they laugh when they hear Selina’s voice from the TV. He grabs her and pulls her close.

Eventually he pulls his boxers back on and throws her the forgotten t-shirt and panties. They lay in bed and strategize with her laptop. He emails. She plots. His fingers occasionally graze across her thigh. She grabs his arm when she tries to make a point. It seems so simple even when it is anything but simple. She accidently falls asleep. He pulls her close again.

*

Nevada continues on this way for seven days. They conquer the world together in the sunlight. They share secret moments at moonlight. There is no talk of them or what they are doing. There is just the recount and winning.

One of those seven nights, they are invited to a dinner with Buddy Calhoun (they are not special, O’Brien’s team also receives an invitation for different night). The dinner is supposed to remind both parties to remain professional and civil. Jonah and Richard are also invited so Amy knows the dinner will be anything but professional. They arrive at some restaurant with the same level of class as an Olive Garden or Red Lobster. Dan sits next to Amy, watches her try her hardest not to squirm as he runs his fingers along her leg secretly under the table. He is so bored listening to the dull cowboy drone on that he defaults to Amy to be the attentive one. And then he looks a Buddy a beat longer than he meant to and notices his infatuation with Amy. Buddy clings onto to every word she says like it’s oxygen he needs. He nods his head emphatically at every point she makes.

Amy does not even notice because it’s Amy.

Dan sits there amused the rest of the night, smirking even more when he secretly he touches her, knowing that Buddy wants to feel her smooth, creamy skin and he gets to instead.

As they get up to leave, Buddy shakes all of their hands but lingers a moment longer holding onto Amy’s. Dan thinks about that as he drags her into his hotel room (he is thankful they are on a different floor than Jonah and Richard) and pushes her against the door. The thought that someone else, particularly a shell of a human like Buddy, wanting to fuck her drives his desire for her even further. He has her panting quickly, his fingers quickly pushing past her underwear and he greedily devours her mouth. She pulls his head away for a second, trying to catch her breath, “You cannot tell me that all of that boring talk of civility with the other side got you this jacked up.”

He smirks, keeping her firmly pushed against the door as he begins to kiss down her body. “Nope, you’re right.”

He feels her take a deep breath when she realizes where his mouth is moving towards, “Than what?” she pants as his lips drag along the smooth skin of her thighs, biting softly every so often.

“Oh, just knowing Woody the cowboy wanted to do this to you and that I get to instead is enough for me.”

She stiffens for a moment, pulling his back head so their eyes lock, “What the hell are you talking about?” she asks genuinely confused.

“I know you try to pretend that you are a sexless, unattractive woman in those blazers, but if he could have jumped over the table and taken you right in the restaurant, he would have. And that is the truth.”

And then his mouth is on her so she can’t respond and Buddy is not brought up again that night. He fucks her with his mouth and then fucks her on the bed, and eventually she is just a pile of limbs later in the night as she softly collapses. He does not even mind that she stays the night because her lingering lavender shampoo always smells nice on the pillow when she sneaks away in the morning to get ready for the day.

*

A few days later, they video conference with Ben. He says Selina is inconsolable in the worst way possible and has been scaring everyone in the White House when it becomes clear Nevada is hopeless. He tells Amy she needs to come back and that Dan has to stay an extra day or two to make sure everything is in order. After they hang up, they look at each other. Amy’s phone immediately pings with an alert from Delta that her flight leaves at 11pm that night (Sue could run the world). She realizes it’s 3pm and she needs to leave soon.

“Well, I should go pack,” she says hesitantly.

Dan feels odd knowing she is going back to DC and he is going to be left in Nevada and their bubble will be broken. He looks down at his phone, starting to email and act nonchalantly, “Yeah, Richard can drive you back to the hotel. I’ll get the team to start shutting things down.” He gets up from the table where they were video conferencing and does not look at her.

She sits at the table by herself and knows that this the moment she had been waiting for.

*

Her tiny suitcase is stuffed to the brim. As she finishes ordering an Uber to the airport, she looks around the room where she allowed herself to be exposed again. She sighs and quickly leaves, but of course, Dan is in the hallway. And he’s not alone.

They make eye contact and she does not even look surprised.

Her phone buzzes with a text message from an unfamiliar number and she does not look at Dan again as she walks towards the elevator to leave everything behind, including him.

In the elevator, she looks at the text which reads, _It was nice to meet you Miss Brookheimer. I hope we cross paths soon in DC. -BC_

She does not respond but for some reason, she saves his number.

*

She actively avoids Dan when he returns to DC (or maybe he’s actively avoiding her, she cannot be sure). They work together but there is no longer the playful bantering, the flirty glances, the feel of him lingering over her shoulder. And that’s okay. (Maybe. Or not. She doesn’t know.)

And then Buddy texts her two weeks later again but she responds to him this time. He’s in DC for the week and wants to grab a drink. She invites him to Selina’s fundraiser instead, and if Dan is going to be there and see Buddy with her, that’s just an added bonus.

The night of the fundraiser, she is finishing up some emails when she feels someone lingering above her desk and sees Dan smirking.

“What?” she asks annoyed.

“I’d have thought you would have left by now to get all dolled up for tonight to schmooze some donors.”

She shuts her laptop, “I was just about to.” She stands to leave but he blocks the door. She looks at him, angry, “Move.”

“Ames, you can’t stay mad at me forever.”

“I’m not mad at you. I need to get ready.” She goes to push him aside but he grabs her wrist.

“If you’re not mad at me then why are you avoiding me?”

She looks him straight in the eye, “Dan, move. I have to get ready, my date is going to be at my apartment in an hour.”

He furrows his brow, “Whose your date?”

She does not answer him but just skirts around him and walks away.

All night, she feels his eyes on her while she mingles the room with Buddy. He does not come up to them but she is aware of his presence everywhere while she tries to ignore him, focus on Buddy, focus on the donors, focus on everything else but him.

In the middle of dinner, she excuses herself to go to the ladies’ room. When she exits, Dan is there, staring at her. It is a bit unfair how good he looks in his tux but the way his eyes graze her body, she knows the choice of dress she is wearing is equally unfair. Attempting to walk past him, he grabs her arm and pulls her into a nearby closet.

He blocks the door once their inside, and she stands towards the back, far enough away that they’re not touching. There is a tiny window that allows for the moonlight to shine through and she can just make out the features of his face.

“A storage closet, really?” she asks annoyed. “Dan, let me the fuck out of here.”

Instead of opening the door, he moves closer to her, boxing her against the back wall but not touching her. “Why are you here with him?” he whispers into her ear.

She actively takes a moment not to tremble, his mouth close enough to her ear that she feels his warm breath, “He’s nice to me. He likes me.”

She touches his chest to push him away, but it’s a fatal mistake because he cups her face and kisses her softly, in a way he rarely did except accidently when they would first wake in the morning, her eyes fluttering and adjusting to the morning light and the feel of his mouth velvety against hers. She melts into his kiss, more than she wants to admit. She knows she is his prey and he is winning. She sighs softly as his mouth moves along her jaw, nipping at the skin, when his tongue slides across her neck to her ear.

She almost falls for it. But then he whispers, “Are you thinking of Woody the cowboy now?”

She immediately jerks her body away, “Fuck you. I am not your toy to play with.”

She pushes him out of the way goes back into the bathroom to fix her hair, fan herself, reapply her lip stain, prepare herself to sit back at the table next to Buddy.

Dan is not waiting outside the bathroom this time as she makes her way back into the room. He is across the table from where she and Buddy are sitting, staring at her while Mike drones on talking to him. She actively ignores him and pats Buddy’s arm as she sits back down.

“Sorry that took so long, I was feeling a little lightheaded from the wine.”

Buddy’s eyes fill with worry, “Are you ok? Do you want to leave?”

“No, no, I’m fine.” She smiles at him and Buddy kisses her cheek where Dan’s lips were just minutes before. She does not look at Dan the rest of the night.

She brings Buddy back to her apartment and lets him fuck her. She almost orgasms.

*

Amy sees Buddy every night he is in DC for the remainder of the week. The day before he leaves, Ben tells Amy and Dan that they are flying to New Hampshire in two days to kick life into Jonah’s campaign. She feels her stomach turn but does not object because she knows it will only ignite Dan’s demonic pleasure.

At dinner that night, she tells Buddy that she will be in New Hampshire for three weeks to help with Jonah’s campaign. He invites her to Nevada after the vote and she tells him that she’ll think about it. He smiles and holds her hand across the table while they wait for their dinner. He brings her back to his hotel and they fuck once more time, like they had every night since the fundraiser. He prefers missionary. She still hasn’t orgasmed but it does not feel bad, she thinks it might even feel good. Everything about him feels nice, stable, easy.

He falls asleep next to her and she does not think of Dan.

*

She tells Sue that she cannot fly out until Sunday night because she has a family obligation during the day. Sue looks at her knowingly but does not say a word. (Amy never puts family obligations above work.)

When she arrives late to New Hampshire, she texts Dan to see if the staff is still at the campaign offices. He tells her to meet him at the bar next to the crappy motel. She does not respond. As she is tries to open the door to her room, he walks up the stairs and catches her.

“Hi pumpkin, miss me?”

She ignores him but is struggling to open the door while balancing her phone and suitcase and purse and being bundled in a coat far too puffy to be sensible because it’s fucking freezing in New Hampshire. He walks over and grabs the key, opening the door for her. She does not thank him but walks inside to a very cold room. He follows her in, uninvited, when her phone rings. It’s Selina so she picks it up immediately as she sits on the bed continuing to ignore Dan, who does not take social cues, and shuts the door behind him, placing himself beside her on the bed while Selina goes on about everything Amy needs to do in the morning. She rolls her head, exhausted, when she feels Dan grab the phone out of her hand to put it on speaker so she can lay down. She is grateful but does not acknowledge it.

Selina finally hangs up and Amy stares at Dan as he continues to hold her phone in his hand.

“What do you want?” she asks, her body trying to adjust to the uncomfortable mattress.

She is still bundled in her coat laying down on the bed, and while the heat has kicked on, it’s barely pumping out of the radiator so she knows it’s going to be a long three weeks.

He lays down beside her and looks at her, “I miss you.”

She rolls her eyes, “No, you don’t Dan.”

She goes to move away from him, try to get him out of her room when he pulls her close and forces her to look at him, “Yes, I do. Stop running from me Ames.”

She snorts, “That’s sweet Dan. I’m sure the harem of women that have trailed through your bed have helped.”

Her phone goes off in his hand with a text message and Buddy’s name appears on the screen. She watches as his face contorts into anger, taking pleasure in his obvious jealousy, and grabs the phone out of his hand. “You should go,” she says. She moves her head away and begins to scroll through her phone. She feels the weight of his body on the bed lift and hears the door slam. She pretends she does not miss him next to her that night.

*

Jonah’s campaign is more of a mess than she or Dan anticipated. And even though she cannot stand Dan, she is grateful to have him in New Hampshire. Because when Jonah opens his mouth the next morning, they give each other a knowing look that no one else would understand.

And they proceed to destroy Jonah, Richard, the rest of the staff with their words and fear.

And within three hours, it has turned into a normal campaign office. Jonah’s uncle shows up, and while Amy does not think happy is an emotion he is capable of, he looks less pissed off than he has sounded on the phone over the past few weeks when he sees a functioning office.

Dan sets up an open forum with one of the local colleges. They have the old people vote in the bag and decide to attempt to lure in the young voters, although Amy is still not convinced the forum will not lead to a sexual harassment lawsuit against Jonah.

The night before the forum when everyone has left the office, she works on catching up on all the emails she missed during the day not pertaining to the campaign. Dan pokes his head in, “Are you leaving soon?”

She sighs, “I don’t know how I can be so behind on emails. I feel like all I do is respond to emails.”

He leans against the wall, “You need to delegate, pick one of the slew of young, eager DNC staffers here and make their whole world explode with an orgasm by allowing them to help you.”

She tries to not flush at the word orgasm, since Buddy had not been successful for the whole week he was in DC, but nods her head. She has been confused by Dan because he has left her alone since that first night in New Hampshire. It has been almost a week, and they interact, they work—he does not ignore her—but he also does not actively bother her. She should be happy but instead she has felt uncomfortable because Dan never just leaves her alone when she wants him to.

“Ugh, I’m so fucking hungry,” she whines. “I hate this town, there is no real food.”

He chuckles, walks closer towards the desk and shuts her laptop. “Let’s got to the diner down the street. The emails can wait forty minutes.”

She is suspicious but is so hungry that she can’t care. And it’s not weird at the diner, he makes her laugh, she talks through strategy with him, they stuff their faces with burgers and fries and milkshakes and for forty minutes, she feels lighter. Like the weight of the world is not on her shoulders.

He pays for dinner (and it’s not even worth arguing over since it costs less than $20 with tip) and they walk back to the motel silently. They pass the bar where all of the staffers drink every night and he asks her if she wants to grab a drink. They pause in front of the it, and he looks at her, really looks at her. It has the makings for the perfect romantic comedy as the snow begins to fall softly and the moon is illuminating the flakes as they scatter about.

She declines. He nods his head and walks into the bar without another word.

She lays alone in bed that night, pretending not to listen for his return in the room next to hers. She hears the door open and she can tell he is alone. She pretends that does not make her happy.

*

They run a brilliant and beautiful campaign, the kind that only intuition and talent, not skill, can create. And Jonah wins to even Amy and Dan’s shock.

The balloons fall at the acceptance speech, the music plays, and they stand in the back watching the production they crafted.

“We got Jonah elected,” she says, looking up knowingly at him.

He smirks and sees her phone go off. Her mom’s name appears, which he thinks is a bit odd, because even though all of DC knows Jonah was elected, he is pretty convinced that her parents don’t even know she’s in New Hampshire running his campaign.

She steps away, out of the auditorium, and people begin to come up to Dan, congratulating him. It’s only about thirty minutes later when he realizes Amy never came back. He walks outside and sees her sitting on the curb staring blankly ahead. He sits next to her. She does not speak but her hands are shaking. Neither of them are wearing coats. He has his blazer and decides to be a gentleman, putting it across her shoulders.

They stay there in silence for a few minutes when she finally speaks.

“My dad is dead.”

He looks at her. Somehow, tears have streamed silently down her from her eyes but she remains stoic, adamant about not showing emotion. And for all of his faults, he knows her, knows how to handle her. He nods his head and does not speak.

“I, uh, have to get back to DC, tonight or…” she looks at her phone, “or tomorrow, or…” and trails off.

“We will call Sue and have her schedule a flight first thing in the morning.”

She shakes her head softly, “I need to pack.” She jolts up manically and suddenly remembers the noise from inside is from their victory, “And we should go back in first. The media and Jonah and…”

He cuts her off and grabs her shoulders, “You need to go back to the motel and pack. I will deal with everything inside. I will have Charlie drive you.” He texts the volunteer who eagerly appears in seconds.

“Take Amy back to the motel. Then come straight back here.” He walks her to the car, “I’ll call Sue. Just go pack.”

She nods somewhat helplessly as Dan shuts the car door and Charlie drives away.

*

Packing her clothes, she is not sure what to do with herself. The shock has not passed yet and she’s not convinced it ever will. And then Sophie calls her, sobbing dramatically about everything, and Amy has to be the strong, sound one. She calms Sophie down (almost forty minutes later) and hears a knock on the door as she continues to soothe her older sister. Opening the door, Dan’s face appears while she talks to Sophie and she leaves it open walking back in the room, indicating he can come in. The door shuts behind her and she rubs her eyes, saying, “Sophie, I’ll be home first thing in the morning, ok? I have the earliest flight and we’ll figure all of this out. Nothing can be done tonight.”

He hears the mumbling of a voice on the other line and Amy sits on the edge of the bed with her face in her hands, “Yes Sophie, I love you too. Go to sleep.” She hangs up but does not lift her face. He walks across the room and stands in front of her.

Amy eventually gathers the strength to lift her head, “Um, Sue got me a flight for the morning.”

“Good,” he says softly. There is a silence and then he says, “Just wanted to make sure you were all set with everything. I’ll close out the campaign offices this week and come back to DC in a few days.” She nods her head.

“Thanks.”

“I’ll see you in a few days.” He goes to leave but feels her grab his arm.

“Can you…” and then she doesn’t say anything and let’s go of his arm and refuses to look at him.

He pulls her up, embraces her, does not say anything. Then he feels her body tremble against him, his shirt becoming wet with her tears. They stand there for a long time. Eventually, her body becomes less tense, the trembling lessens and eventually stops, and she keeps her face stuffed in his chest while he rests his face in her hair (he missed her lavender shampoo).

She’s not sure how long they stay in that position but eventually she pulls away slightly and he looks down at her, “Are you okay?”

She nods and steps away hesitantly. “Yes, um…”

He cuts her off, granting her a pass not to say the words because he feels her embarrassment, “Ok, I’ll see you back in DC?”

She nods again and feels him kiss her cheek softly, leaving the room.

She allows herself to miss him that night for the first time in a long time.

*

The following week is awful. Her family is overwhelming and dramatic and she has to take care of everything. Buddy is overwhelming too. He will not stop calling her, texting her, telling her he’s worried about her and going to fly into DC to help her with all of the arrangements.

She eventually, politely, tells him that she does not want him to and that she will call him after everything is over. (She has no intentions of calling him.)

For how awful everything is in her personal life is, her work family is surprisingly understanding because they know her better than anyone. No one sends their condolences because she does not want them, but her work email lessens by about 50%, Selina doesn’t call her every day (she even gives her a hug on the one day Amy stops in the office to grab some papers before listing off about ten things for Amy to do and it’s the most normal Amy has felt in days) and the rest of the team will only bother her when necessary.

She does not mind the distraction though.

And Dan, he is, well, confusing. He texts her every day, but not about her dead dad or her family or the funeral. He sends her funny articles from Politico with his commentary, tells her gossiping stories of what she is missing at work, and other things to distract her.

She could not be more grateful.

The day before the funeral, her entire extended family gathers at her parent’s (mother’s?) house. They are gossiping and bullshitting and talking excitedly about how the President is coming to the funeral the next day. They light up when they remind each other there is going to be security, how important Amy must be for the President and her whole staff to be there.

Amy hates every moment of being in that house listening to every single person. And when she cannot take it anymore, she grabs her coat and slams the door behind her while her family continues to gossip.

Driving in her car, she did not even realize where she was going until she finds herself in front of Dan’s apartment. She walks up, hoping she does not regret it, knocking on the door when he answers in a Syracuse t-shirt and jeans with a beer in hand. He looks at her confused, “Ames?”

She grabs the beer, chugs it and pushes her way in past him.

The door closes as she sits on his couch. He goes to the kitchen, grabbing two more beers, handing her a new one. “My family is driving me crazy.” She gulps the beer and sets in down on the coffee table so she can throw off her coat. “They can’t stop talking about how important I am, how great it is that the President is coming to my dad’s funeral, about the security, about…” and she trails off.

He stays silent, and she grabs her beer again, “I just need them to shut up.” She looks up at him, lost, and he pushes a strand of her silky hair behind her ear.

And then she’s kissing him because she just needs to forget everything. The funeral. Her dead dad. Her family. The vote. Her life.

He pulls her close and she melts into him. His lips feel like home, his hands comforting as they trail down her sides. She doesn’t hesitate, pulls off his t-shirt, pulls off her own dress, pulls down his pants. He runs his fingers against her damp panties as she looks at him and whispers vulnerably, “Make me forget.”

Dan does not need to be told twice. He makes her explode in bliss twice, once with his fingers, once when she is pulled closed against him while he fucks her. It feels like home when she moans against his mouth as she clamps down on him. As they lay intertwined on his couch after, she feels content for the first time in weeks, even before her dad died.

He grabs her face, kisses her, and throws his t-shirt and her panties to her as he drags on his own boxers. He pulls her into his bedroom, kissing her cheek, whispering softly for her to lay down as he leaves the room to grab something out of the kitchen. She collapses onto his bed (of course it’s the most comfortable mattress she’s laid on in weeks) and lets her eyes shut as she buries her face in the soft pillows. As she starts to drift off, she feels his weight when he lays down next to her on the bed, leaving a trail of kisses along her neck.

*

She jolts awake the next morning in a panic. She cannot remember what she was dreaming about but her heart is racing and she is breathing shortly. Anxiety fills her body as she remembers it’s the day of her dad’s funeral and she has to deal with everyone and everything and she feels a panic attack coming.

And then Dan pulls her close. He does not say anything, his body is pressed firmly against her back, and he engulfs her with his arms. The panic dissipates a bit, and she feels him lazily trail kisses from her ear to her jaw down her neck. She rolls over and pulls her mouth against his. He lets his hands graze under the t-shirt and she pulls him on top of her and he makes her forget. It’s intense and exhausting and comforting and everything she needs. She feels like she wants to cry when she finally comes because it feels so good but instead, just lays underneath him after, a little softer and less tense.

He kisses the space between her shoulders and neck, and she whispers into the dawn, “I have to go home and get ready. I’m supposed to be at my mom’s to go to the church by 9am.”

He nods into her neck and says softly, “Ok.” He lifts his head and kisses her again, “I’ll see you at the church later?”

She shakes her head and he rolls over, not quite letting go, but allows her to slip out of bed. She puts on her clothes and he falls back to sleep and she cannot resist running her fingers through his hair and kissing his cheek before she leaves, knowing that he is asleep and won’t remember.

When she arrives at her apartment, she showers, pulls on her most conservative black sheath dress and fastens her pearl studs in her ears. There is not a single hair out of place on her head and she stares at her reflection in the mirror. She realizes she is going to her dad’s funeral, takes a deep breath, grabs her sunglasses to shield her eyes and leaves her apartment.

*

Her family is ridiculous when the President and the rest of the staff and security arrive at the church. Selina gives Amy a hug, passes along her condolences to her mother and sister, and sits in the pews as everyone else trails behind her. Amy catches Dan’s eye but no more.

The funeral is not too drawn out. The priest says kind words. Her uncle gives the eulogy. The casket is carried out by the pallbearers. And then it’s over.

Amy walks over to the everyone, thanking them for coming. Selina squeezes her shoulder comfortingly and asks can Amy remember to call Senator Jones’s chief-of-staff to confirm if they need anything for the vote? Amy smiles for the first time all day, nods her head appreciatively, and says she’ll see all of them in two days when she returns to work. The staff all says their good-byes as they head to the fleet of vehicles heading back to the White House but Dan lingers for a moment. They are surrounded by people but no one else seems to notice them. He pushes her hair that has fallen out from behind her sunglasses gently off her face. He does not ask her if she is okay, if she wants him to go to the cemetery, if she needs anything. He just cups her cheek and says, “See you at my apartment tonight?”

She nods her head, happy he does not ask anything else, and he releases her soft skin, walking towards the entourage.

*

She spends the next two nights at Dan’s apartment. They do not talk about her dad or family or anything. They watched Fox News in his bed and get angry. They make fun of the in-depth reports on Dateline. He does not give her a hard time when she wants to watch a Law & Order: SVU marathon or order extra cheese on their pizza.

She returns to work and they all only exist for the vote. She continues to spend every night at Dan’s. Neither of them have a life outside of work so she rationalizes that it’s convenient, not anything more. It’s not like they’re carpooling to work. (And if she left a toothbrush in his bathroom, it’s only because she forgot to put it back in her purse.)

And then Selina loses.

And then Tom James loses.

The day of the vote in the senate, the one that decides Laura Montez is going to be president, Amy leaves work for the first time since she graduated from college at 5pm. There is nothing more to be done, she doesn’t speak to anyone, just goes to her office, grabs her coat and purse, and drives home.

She never understood five o’clock traffic until she had to drive in it.

Her phone blows up but she turns it off. She refuses to turn on the news, so instead, she starts season two of Downton Abbey because she has never had time to finish the series despite it being over long ago. She pours herself wine, watches TV and does not turn on her phone.

At 7pm, she hears a banging on her apartment door.

She peers out the peep hole (slightly tipsy, half a bottle of wine in one hour may have not been the best idea) and sees Dan. She opens the door.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asks angrily.

She rolls her eyes, “Nice to see you too drama queen.”

He walks past her, “Can you not answer a fucking text message? You have people thinking you’re dead. You have never not answered your phone for two hours.”

“People, or you?”

He ignores her question and notices the yoga pants (although he can guarantee she’s never done yoga a day in her life) and tank top. “What are you doing?” he asks confused.

She shuts the door and goes back to her couch, “Watching Downton Abbey, drinking wine, and eating a box of stale crackers.” She grabs the glass of wine, “What are you doing?”

“Amy…” he trails off.

“Am I supposed to be doing something else Dan? Because I think everything is done.”

He grabs her glass of wine and drinks some. “Ok, so tell me what’s going on in this show.”

They watch for a while as Amy explains all the characters and plotlines, get drunk (they open a second bottle of wine) and fuck all night in her bed. They don’t talk about work but he convinces her in the morning to turn her phone back on and show up at the office that day.

It’s a horrible few days between the senate vote and the inauguration. Dan, ironically, is the only thing that is not horrible. Her mother calls her worried, her sister tells her she can get her a job at CVS, Selina is unbearable, and Amy thinks her brain might explode.

After the inauguration ceremony, she finds herself standing in front of the White House like a tourist peering through the gates. She does not know if she will ever walk into the doors of the West Wing again. She does not know where she is going to go. Her phone buzzes and she sees Dan’s name.

_Where are you?_

She wonders what they are, what will they be? The only justification before was it was convenient, and now, she doesn’t know. She considers not responding, but types back, _Taking a walk._

The little dots appear in their conversation and another message pops up, _Come to my apartment. See you soon._

She sighs and walks in the direction of his apartment. He lives far enough that it’s not a quick walk, but not far enough that her feet will regret it. The light from his living room filters through the window as she stares. She wonders if she should go in, if this is just postponing the inevitable. But she sees his shadow, clearly talking on his cell phone, and against her better judgement, walks up to the door, softly knocking. He opens the door, smiling while still on the phone, pulling her inside. She doesn’t take any of the words in that he is saying to whomever is on the line, and instead decides to let her guard down for one last time, stuffing her face in her chest and wrapping her arms around him.

She just wants to feel something, even if it’s not real. She can feel his confusion, but he continues to talk and wrap one arm around her. “Alright, thanks Stevie, we’ll chat tomorrow about the details.”

He hangs up and she looks up at him, her arms still wrapped around his torso. “Hi,” he says with a smirk.

She buries her face back into his chest and murmurs, “Shut up.”

He laughs, kisses her head and pulls her into the kitchen. He grabs a bottle of scotch and pours them both a glass. They sit at his island in a comfortable silence, when he finally speaks, “CBS offered me a job.”

She raises her eyebrows, “That was quick.”

“It’s in New York.”

Her breath falters for a moment and she stares at the glass of scotch. “Oh.”

He grabs her hands, “Ames, come with me.”

She looks at him, shocked, “What are you talking about?”

“Come to New York with me. You’ll find a job there in five seconds. We can be…” and he trails off.

“Yeah, right,” she says dropping his hand and taking a gulp of the scotch. “I can’t leave my mom. And everything I have is in DC.”

“Really, like what?”

She feels herself getting angry, “I don’t know, stuff!” She slams the empty glass down and gets up from the island, preparing to leave when he grabs her and forces her to look at him.

“Amy, this is me saying to you that I want you to come with me, be with me. It’s that simple.”

She stumbles over her words, “Dan, it can’t be that simple. You…” she looks at him and there is no sign of anything but what she thinks might be love.

“It **can** be that simple.”

She takes a deep breath, because for weeks on end, nothing has been easy, nothing has been stable, everything has been hard except when she’s with him. Because no one makes her laugh like he does, or angry like he does, or feel like he does. Because no one loves her like he does.

So she says, “Ok.”


End file.
